It was upsetting news when the UES Barnes & Noble announced their closure, alongside many other businesses, back in 2020. A company statement declared the space was “too large, and too expensive,” however, a spokesperson promised the store’s return at a new site in the future.
Two years later, such a promise has been kept as a new Barnes & Noble location now graces the UES in the Agora Building on 1556 3rd Ave. as of July 19, according to their recent Instagram post.
“It is very good news to bring our bookstore back to the Upper East Side,” said Barnes & Noble CEO, James Daunt, in a statement this past May. “It was very sad to close in the depths of the pandemic and especially pleasing now to reopen with one that is so dramatically more attractive….Bookstores are bursting with energy, with events back in full swing and now a wave of new bookstore openings is underway.”
The new location takes over a former Duane Reade, spanning 8,000 square feet—small in comparison to the neighborhood’s former 55,000 square foot store.
Supposedly, the new UES Barnes & Noble is just one of the 30+ locations expected to open next year (Brooklyn you’re next!).
“Our booksellers in NYC are to be very busy,” shared Amy Fitzgerald, VP of stores, in a statement. “Not only do we have the excitement of reopening on the Upper East Side, we are also to open in Brooklyn and begin the refurbishment of our existing bookstores with the complete overhaul of our Upper West Side bookstore.”
Keep up with their website for the latest updates.
Where: 1556 3rd Ave., New York
When: July 19, 2023